Boxer and author Mischa Merz is set to
launch her long-awaited second book about female boxing ‘The
Sweetest Thing’ in her native Australia on Tuesday 17 July at
Bella Union Bar, Trades Hall, on the corner of Lygon and Victoria
Streets in Carlton starting at 6:00pm. Published locally by Hunter
after being released in the United States (Seven Stories Press,
2011) last yearto critical acclaim, this journal-style
work of non-fiction takes the reader on a wide-ranging journey
throughout the USA as the author strives to find and define the very
heart of female boxing while competing in a series of amateur boxing
tournaments.

Throughout the course of the book, Merz
takes us from the famed Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn through to gyms
in Florida and Georgia, trains under the inimitable Lucia Rijker at
the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, culminating in the AIBA Women’s
World Boxing Championship in Barbados.

While ‘The Sweetest Thing’ is
ostensibly about the author’s journey, the end result is a series
of character sketches about the very different women who populate the
sport, each with their own unique story and motivation.

Merz’s passion for boxing oozes
through her prose. She can dissect a single jab over the course of
pages while keeping the reader engaged with her piquant observations
and analytical thoughts. But this book provides more than just
insight into the sport of boxing and the burgeoning female presence
in the square circle; it delves deeply into gender politics, the
American psyche and position the sweet science holds there.

The book launch itself promises to
break with the traditional meet-and-greet, speech and book signing
format. Merz is promising the audience “a three dimensional look
inside the book” with “stories of sex, violence, bruises, madness
and bust ups” with a guarantee that punches will be thrown.

Three of this country’s most talented
female boxers will be in attendance, providing the audience with a
firsthand look at women’s boxing. Three-time Australian champion
and Oceania champion Bianca Elmir will spar 19-year-old Kristy
Harris, with topless ringcard boys rumoured to be carrying the
numbers between rounds.

Also in the mix will be Emily Jans,
who, as well as being a great boxer and kickboxer is also a vegan and
a drummer. She won this year’s national championship at 64kgs in
Hobart and is yet another female fighter who breaks the stereotypes
about both boxing and being a woman.

There will also be a slideshow
featuring some of the juiciest black eyes you will ever see.

Whether you are a fan of boxing or a
fan of books, get along to the Bella Union Bar in Carlton this
Tuesday at 6pm, where violence and literature will collide.